'We will not negotiate' with Trump, says top Iran official as Tehran launches fresh strikes

Suspected Iranian strikes have hit various states and cities in the Middle East including Dubai, Bahrain, and Qatar in response to the US and Israeli blasts on Saturday morning which killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Blasts were reported in Jerusalem, Dubai, Abu Dhabi in UAE, Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain on the third day of a conflict that has plunged the region into chaos.

As the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed on X that "we will not negotiate with the United States."

British Armed Forces are also responding to the suspected strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which is home to thousands of British airmen and their families, at around midnight on Sunday.

Three British schools on the island have also been closed with immediate effect while and residents have been advised to shelter until further notice.

In response, officials in the UK are understood to be working on plans for the potential evacuation of more than 100,000 Britons from the Middle East.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told LBC on Monday that the Cyprus base is still operating with some damage to the runway from an unmanned drone.

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Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Ms Cooper said: "Over the weekend, what we've seen is attacks by Iran on partner countries that weren't involved in any strikes on Iran and countries where there are 300,000 British citizens.

"We have had attacks that have come close to the Bahrain UK base and also the attack of the drone attack affecting Cyprus as well.

"So we have seen this escalation by the Iranian regime and we've got 300,000 British citizens, often holidaymakers and people who have been travelling through the region and as a result of the closure in airspace, are not able to return home.

"That's why we have said we would give provide the support for defensive action and that is crucial."

Iran launched their retaliation after a series of US-Israeli strikes on the country on Saturday, which saw the killing of Khamenei.

Asked if the UK supports the way in which Iran’s de facto leader was killed, she told Nick: "No, that is not something that we were involved in.

"I don’t think anyone would mourn what has happened because this is obviously part of a regime that has been not only brutally pursuing its own citizens, but also supporting terrorist activity across the region, destabilising activity through proxies across the region.

"But it is not something that we were involved in."

On Sunday evening, Sir Keir Starmer said he had agreed to a US request to use British bases to strike Iranian missile sites.

The Prime Minister said he had granted the request "to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved."

However in a statement, he said the UK would not be directly involved in strikes against targets in Iran.

But asked by Nick what level of support will the United Kingdom continue to provide to the United States, Ms Cooper said: "What the issue here is that there are effectively ballistic missile sites and launchers that are pointed at Gulf countries and therefore particularly in southern Iran.

"So this is about the US being able to use UK bases to deal with some of those launches, those strike, those strikes, to prevent strikes as a defensive, proportionate defensive action.

"This doesn't cover things like political targets or economic targets or infrastructure, wider infrastructure targets. It is specifically about the proportionate defensive action."

Multiple people were injured after an incident at Dubai International Airport following the retaliatory missiles on US bases in the region.

A spokesperson for the airport said: "Emergency response teams were immediately deployed and are managing the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities.

"Four staff sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention.

"Due to contingency plans already in place, most of the terminals were previously cleared of passengers. Further updates will be provided as they become available."

Footage uploaded to social media from Brits in Dubai appears to show the sound of strikes in the region as locals scrambled for safety.

Kate Ferdinand, wife of former England footballer Rio, described her family as having a "very scary night" at their Dubai home.

Ferdinand shared a post to her 1.4 million followers on Instagram on Sunday, and wrote: "Thank you for all of your messages and sorry for the silence, I haven’t wanted to worry you all I just haven’t been able to find the words.

"We are safe. The Government are doing an amazing job of keeping it that way and despite my nerves I feel we are in very safe hands. We are hoping for a calmer evening tonight, last night was very scary."

President Trump is said to have authorised the initial military action in the early hours of Saturday and speaking on Sunday evening, the President said the strikes would "continue until all of the objectives are achieved."

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it has destroyed the headquarters of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Trump confirmed that nine naval ships used by the country have been sunk.

He said: Mr Trump said in a video shared on Truth Social: "Iran's formerly Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead.

"This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people all across many countries."

He continued: "The entire military command is gone as well. And many of them want to surrender into saving their lives. They want immunity. They're calling by the thousands.

"Combat operations continue at this time in full force. And they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives. They could have done something two weeks ago, but they just couldn't get there."